The Ukrainian World Congress and representatives of Ukrainian communities in Italy have called for the cancellation of conductor Valery Gergiev's participation in the Un'Estate da RE festival. A corresponding appeal to the Italian Minister of Culture and the festival organisers was signed by about 40 associations of Ukrainians in Italy, Poland and Canada. This was reported by the public initiative Holka, which also joined the collective appeal.
This could be Gergiev's first performance in the EU since the start of the full-scale war, if it is not cancelled.
The appeal states that "Valery Gergiev is Vladimir Putin's ambassador, his servant, his loyal friend, his comrade-in-arms, his emissary in Moscow's imperialist war. His performance could become a brilliant calling card for the Kremlin dictator, a pass to new crimes. Providing a stage, and such a prestigious one at that, as the Palace in Caserta (on the outskirts of Naples) is an insult to the entire Ukrainian people, who are subjected to daily brutal attacks by those whom Gergiev supports."
Gergiev's performance is scheduled as part of the Un'Estate da RE festival, which will take place on 27 July at the Palace of Caserta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The concert is actively supported by Vincenzo De Luca, governor of Campania (this region of Italy). Russian conductor Valery Gergiev last performed on a Western stage on 23 February 2022 at La Scala in Milan. After the full-scale invasion, he was banned from performing on European and North American stages for refusing to condemn the Russian-Ukrainian war. Ultimately, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra dismissed Gergiev. In turn, pro-Russian media outlets are already publishing information that Italy has allegedly come to the defence of Russian culture.
The Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security, which operates in Ukraine, also reacted to the fact that the Russian dictator's friend plans to resume his activities:
"Gergiev's participation in the Un'Estate da RE festival is unacceptable: it would send a signal to the Kremlin that Russia can emerge from international isolation even though its criminal war against Ukraine continues. Gergiev's participation in the Un'Estate da RE festival seems absurd also because the festival is funded by the EU, against which Russia has very specific aggressive plans."
Vice-President of the European Parliament Pina Picierno noted on her social media page X that the conductor's performance is unacceptable: “Even after three and a half years of war, there are those who still do not understand that supporting Putin’s regime, including through such cultural initiatives, legitimises his monstrous imperialism and is a huge problem. It is my duty and the duty of the EU institutions to appeal to the festival director and the president of the Campania region to intervene to change the programme and prevent taxpayers' money from going into the pockets of supporters of a criminal regime."
Representatives of Ukrainian associations abroad at the Forum also agreed to develop the resilience of Ukrainian communities to disinformation through educational campaigns and to work together to counter propaganda.